Festivities on January 20 celebrated two famous men, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert E Lee.

However, someone very near and dear to me also celebrates her birthday every year on that very date.

A pretty little dark-haired girl came into this world 78 years ago.

She is best known to many of you as &uot;Miss Ova&uot;, that pretty white-haired lady with the big smile and the welcoming hugs.

I call her ‘Mom’.

Conven-tional wisdom dictates she shouldn’t look so darned good for someone pushing 80.

But who wants to be conventional?

(She’s also supposed to stay off ladders, but she doesn’t pay any attention to THAT dictum, either.)

Mom is a social creature.

She likes people and they like her.

There’s just something about that combination of peaches-and-cream skin, twinkling baby blues and fluffy white curls combined with a caramel-sweet southern charm that disarms those she meets.

When someone is on occasion unpleasant to her she is so deeply hurt I feel like ripping the villain to shreds.

Turn about is fair play, for didn’t she always feel the same about me?

Mom wanted me to always behave properly—but woe to them that mistreated my older sisters or me. No tigress could have been any fiercer in her devotion.

Now I am the one scolding her for being where she shouldn’t be (take that ladder for instance), warning her to look both ways before crossing the street and telling her to please take my hand and, for goodness sakes, be careful.

OK, maybe there’s a little tigress in me, too.

So happy birthday and a big bear hug to my favorite mom—long may she grace our world.

We have such an exciting event coming up here in Greenville—the imminent arrival of some of Notre Dame’s finest architectural students direct from South Bend, Indiana. They will be here to explore all our city has to offer.

Greenville is truly a little architectural gem and I don’t think we who live here always recognize or appreciate that fact.

We encourage you to join in the upcoming town meeting on Saturday and put in your two cents’ worth!

The Arts Council also has a fun event coming up on February 1. Come to their Gala Benefit and Silent Auction and help a wonderful theatrical tradition continue at one of our restored gems—the fabulous Ritz Theatre.

Pooh’s birthday will be celebrated at the Library starting at 3:45 this Friday—come down for a honey of a time!

Last but certainly not least…congratulations to Emmaline Walters for representing our county so wonderfully at the state Junior Miss finals in Montgomery.

We’ll have an article featuring Emm’s thoughts on her exciting week in an upcoming edition.

See you around town!